Giltrap Group Motorsport: Team Update
Feb 10, 2022
A team for all seasons.
Giltrap Group Motorsport driver Simon Evans has made a winning start to the Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship with four race wins over the opening two rounds of the series raced at the Highlands circuit in Cromwell and Mike Pero Motorsport Park just outside of Christchurch.
Evans, the i-Pace eTrophy World Champion, showed his class and experience in all weathers during last weekends round in Canterbury, finishing on the podium in all three races, including two victories.
The 31-year-old delighted with his place at the top of the ladder, "It's great to be on top; now we want to carry our momentum forward into the North Island rounds. The key thing is we've got good car speed. Last season I led the championship at various times, but we didn't have the car speed."
Teammate Marco Giltrap had started the season aiming to be a top-five driver, a goal he has already bested, with his first-ever Toyota Gazoo Racing, 86 Championship podium in the first race at Ruapuna, and his form continued, with podium finishes next two races to move Giltrap up to fourth place in the championship after two rounds," Once you get that first podium, it makes it a lot easier to press forward and hopefully, I can get the win soon. The big thing is that we're still in with a shot for a top three in the championship with four rounds still to go."
After a frustrating opening round in Cromwell, the 18 -year old and Giltrap Group Motorsport team effectively pushed the reset button before the weekend at Ruapuna, fine-tuning both the car and driver. Giltrap's gutsy drive through the field to make the podium in the on a wet Ruapuna proof he is on the right track;
At Highlands, I put too much pressure on myself and got frustrated far too easily and started to overdrive the car. At Ruapuna, I settled down, and the results followed; the third race was one of the most fun races I've had, coming from ninth to finish second.
Evans, meanwhile, is relishing his status as an 'elder statesman of the series, with his determination to win the series, matched by his desire for the two-car team to be at the top of the championship.
"It's a huge push for us; if I'm not winning races, I want Marco to be winning races. So I feel if I can help him do that, then I'm doing my job well. At Ruapuna, I was more proud of his results than my own because it was great to see him getting the podium monkey off his back."
COVID-19 restrictions have forced the Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota 86 Championship to change in line with the 'Red Light.' Teams are, however, planning a return to the track this weekend at Hampton Downs in the North Waikato.